Amène-toi chez nous
by CoffeeCup218
Summary: "And she tries, desperately tries to tell him with her own eyes that she knows, has known for a long time how he feels about her, but she's not quite there yet." A four-shot of Castle and Beckett's life in the years they've known each other. Chapter 2 written for #CastleThemeDay.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, this is a little idea I've had for a while now, but never got around to write.**

 **I don't** **know if I like it, but I'll let you readers decide.**

 **Disclaimer : If I owned even a small part of Castle, they'd have babies by now.**

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 _Si le coeur te fait mal, si tu ne sais plus rire_ _  
_ _Si tu ne sais plus être gai comme autrefois_ _  
_ _Si le cirque est parti, si tu n'as pu le suivre_ _  
_ _Amène-toi chez nous, je t'ouvrirai les bras_ _  
_ _Je n'ai rien d'un bouffon qui déclenche les rires_ _  
_ _Mais peut-être qu'à deux nous trouverons la joie_ _  
_ _Viens_

Three days.

Three days since Kate Beckett had moved into his loft after her apartment exploded and already he can't remember a time when he didn't wake up to her puttering around his kitchen.

He knows it's not good. He knows that she'll leave soon, that this weird dynamic that has developed is only temporary. She'll want her independence back and she'll assume he'll want his home back.

He can't even begin to pretend she's right. He's done lying to himself because even if he tries, he can't ignore the feelings the mere sight of her provokes in him.

He doesn't want to try anymore. He thinks he might be falling in love with her, and strangely, the thought doesn't frighten him as much as he thought it would.

"Dad?"

The voice of his daughter interrupted his reverie.

"Yeah Pumpkin?"

As Alexis' head comes into focus, he notices the slight concern in her eyes. Oops. She must've been trying to gain his attention quite a few times before he actually responded.

"Kate was just asking you something."

He turns to Beckett and sees the slight curl of her lip. Well, he's glad his distraction amuses at least one person.

"Are you going to the precinct tomorrow morning? It's just gonna be paperwork and I'm not on call until noon," she repeated.

"Ah, euh…"

He cleared his throat.

"Paperwork? Count me out."

She rolled her eyes and leaned into his daughter, fake whispering. "Now, how did I know he would say that?"

They both giggle a little and it warms his heart that they get along so well. He watches them dance around in the kitchen, the detective having insisted in preparing dinner because "It's the least I could do for letting me crash here, Castle." Of course, Alexis had offered to help and they had both promptly banished him from their workspace.

He hears the door open and his mother's booms across the space separating them. "Something smells good, Richard. What are you making this fine evening?"

"Oh Martha, you are just in time! Dinner's ready."

She goes to stand right next to her son, elbowing him gently in the ribs. "She cooks too, darling, I tell you, she's a keeper. Smart, driven and multi-talented.

"Mother!" he protests, a blush already beginning to creep up his cheek. Fortunately, both girls are too busy with setting up the table to pay attention to the older woman's words.

"Oh kiddo, who do you think you are fooling?" she chuckles.

He's about to reply when Beckett and Alexis come back, urging both of them to go take a seat at the table. They go willingly, but not without a last teasing glance from his mother. They three woman immediately ease into a comfortable conversation, completely ignoring him and he can't help but wonder if he may have a chance of a future where the very scene taking place in front of him is a daily occurrence.

He'd be more than okay with that.

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 **So that's it for the first chapter. I have 3 more planned so be sure to leave a review to tell me if you liked it or not!**

 **Coffee Cup**


	2. January 9th

**AN : I just want to apologize for not updating for like half a year. I have NO excuse. I'm just horrible with deadlines. _  
_**

 **Anyhow, please enjoy this chapter!**

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 _Si tu ne peux pas mordre dans la vie qui t'emporte_ _  
_ _Parce que c'est la vie qui te mord chaque jour_ _  
_ _Si tu ne peux répondre aux coups qu'elle te porte_ _  
_ _Amène-toi chez nous, je serai dans ma cour_ _  
_ _Je ne sais pas guérir, je ne sais pas me battre_ _  
_ _Mais peut-être qu'à quatre nous trouverons le tour_ _  
_ _Viens_

 _Rough translation : If you can't grab on to the moving flow of life, come to me. I am neither a soldier, nor a healer, but together, we'll find the key._

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The day, so far, has been horrible.

But then again, January 9th hasn't been a good day for the last 13 years.

She had woken up to the painful tug of her scars; the cold and the humidity making them itch and pull. She had been disappointed that she had received no morning call. She had hoped for a murder to distract her because the perspective of a full day of paperwork, giving her entirely too much time to think, was more than she could bear.

When she arrived at the precinct, she hadn't been expecting Castle. But he was there, on his chair, playing on his phone, a cup of steaming coffee resting right beside him on her desk.

"Paperwork day, you know?" she had told him.

"I know." He had sent her a smile that made her inside flutter and she had returned it, already knowing that in the darkness of the day, he would be her single bright light.

The relief Castle's coffee cup and his presence had provided hadn't lasted much longer when she learned that the heat in the precinct had broken down and the reparation would likely take a long time.

She had been so grateful that her boys wouldn't let her wallow in misery. All throughout the day, they had found ways to alleviate the mood.

"Oy, Beckett, blue really suits you. Ever thought about a Doctor Manhattan costume for Halloween?"

They hadn't even seen the glare she had thrown them, too busy high fiving each other.

She hadn't minded.

But her good mood had promptly disappeared when he announced he had an urgent errand and would be back later.

And now, four hours later, she's feeling cold, impatient and empty. The boys, who were teasing her just a few hours ago, are not so subtly exchanging looks, avoiding her gaze when she catches them do so.

She mindlessly grabs her mug, thinking a little caffeine will perhaps make things a little better. The drink is lukewarm when it goes down her throat and she swallows hard, makes a face. Yes, some good coffee is what she needs.

She starts the machine and watches the stream of delicious beverage fill her cup. She goes for the frothed milk and as always, the thing hisses and spits hot water, burning her fingers. She curses, puts the digit in her mouth and tries again.

"Need a hand?"

She turn around, eyes wide, recognizing the voice of her partner. He takes over the coffee maker, pours the milk on top of the coffee and hands it back to her.

"Sometimes I think you programmed it to only obey to you," she tells him.

Beckett hums in appreciation as she drinks a mouthful of the scalding liquid. She opens her eyes to his blue irises, a longing in them he doesn't bother to hide and that she catches more and more often these days. And she tries, desperately tries to tell him with her own eyes that she knows, has known for a long time how he feels about her, but she's not quite there yet. _Please wait for me, just a little longer, I promise I'll get there_ , they beg.

"If I told you the secret to it, you wouldn't need me anymore."

It was said jokingly, but she sees in the way his eyes dart around, in the way his smile drops a little that even the possibility of being excluded from her life terrifies him. And it's her fault, her own damn fault, for being so closed off that he can't even tell that it terrifies her as well.

"Well, I did train you to fetch…"

He grins, the corner of his eyes crinkling.

"So what's up with the flowers?"

She points to the bouquet of flowers he had put aside on the break room table to help her with the coffee.

"These?" He goes to grab them, looking a little nervous. "They're for you." He fiddles with the plastic covering the stems and hands it to her.

"For me?"

"Yeah, I mean, if you want them." He clears his throat. "I thought, since today is… Well you would want to go to the cemetery to visit her and you could put them on her grave."

He holds out his arm, gestures for her to take it. She doesn't, just stares him, silent, overwhelmed by the kindness of his gesture. She sees his face fall with disappointment as the silence stretches.

"Look, forget what I said, you don't need to accept it if it's too much and I'm sorry if I overstepped. I just wanted to do something nice but if-"

"No I…" She grabbed the flowers, interrupts him.

"Rick, thank you," she whispers. "It's the sweetest thing anybody's ever done for me. It means a lot."

The smile slowly reappears on Castle's face. Her gaze, trained on him, grows too soft, too tender, too revealing.

"They're her favourites too. How did you know?"

He shrugs, looks a little guilty.

"Don't tell me? Called my dad."

He has the decency to look chastened. "I wanted to make it perfect."

And with that statement, unbearably sincere, she momentarily forgets every reason she has to stay away from him and impulsively hugs him, resting her cheek on his shoulder.

"Thank you."

His arms hesitantly come up to hold her against his chest.

"You already thanked me," he replies.

"Yes, for giving me the flowers. But it's for more that. It's for being here today. For being you." She pulls away, mindful of the open blinds and the watchful eyes of her coworkers. "For being the best partner."

"Always," he says.

And perhaps, she thinks, as she gets lost in the love she finds in his eyes, perhaps in the future, with him, January 9th won't be such a horrible day.

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 **So there you go, I hope you enjoyed it! If you did, don't forget to review!**


	3. Chapter 3

**A/N : Well hi guys! I started this chapter a long time ago (clearly I haven't update in so long), but never found the time nor the inspiration to continue with it. But as my final exam approaches, I've suddenly been struck with the inspiration beast and finished it. I honestly don't know when the last chapter will be posted (hopefully within this month if the beast doesn't leave me too soon), but it will be posted eventually, I promise.**

 **On that note, enjoy!**

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 _Si tu cherches à savoir le chemin qu'il faut suivre_ _  
_ _Si tu cherches à comprendre ce pourquoi tu t'en vas_ _  
_ _Si tu vois ton bateau voguer à la dérive_ _  
_ _Amène-toi chez nous, j'aurais du rhum pour toi_ _  
_ _Je ne suis pas marin, je vis loin de la rive_ _  
_ _Mais peut-être qu'à cent nous trouverons la voix_ _  
_ _Viens_

 _Translation_

 _If you're wondering about the path you must take_

 _If you want to understand why you're leaving_

 _If you see your ship sail away_

 _Come over, I'll have rum for you_

 _I'm not a sailor; I live far from the coast_

 _But perhaps a hundred of us will find a voice_

 _Come_

" _Can we just talk about something else?"_

" _Yeah"… " How's Josh?"_

" _Fine. He's a…He's on his way to Haiti to do another Doctor Without Borders mission."_

" _How long?"_

 _Shrugs and whispers "I don't know. It's so funny, Castle. You know, at first, I loved that he was so busy. It just…It just gave me an opportunity to keep one foot out the door, just in case."_

" _But with one foot out the door, it's hard to know where you stand"_

" _And even if I did, what does it mean? He's out there, he's saving people. How do you even compete with that?"_

" _You can't. No. No one can._

" _That's one of the things that attracted me to him the most. That passion. That drive. Why is it that the thing that attracts you to a person always ends up being that thing that just drives you crazy? I just wish that it… I wish that I had someone who would be there for me and I could be there for him, and we could just dive into it together."_

He doesn't know what to say. He doesn't like Josh. He really doesn't like the guy. He's made it abundantly clear. But now that she says she might have doubts about her relationship, he can't say it anymore. All the spiteful things are stuck in his too tight throat.

"Do you want it to be him?" he finally says.

Seconds pass in a heavy silence.

"I-" Her shoulders sag. "I'm not sure."

The tips of his fingers skim her shoulder, the briefest of touches, and he thinks she shudders slightly.

"Well, for all I know, he's not as smart as he looks if he doesn't realize how amazing you are and doesn't hold on the you tighter."

A lovely shade of red rises in her cheeks.

"You're sweet, Castle."

"I mean, you are intelligent, beautiful, savvy, strong. One of a kind. And Josh has the nerve to take it for granted," he continues, encouraged by her words.

She stops him, her hand on top of his.

"Castle. Stop. I know-I know it's mostly my fault. Like I said. One foot out the door..." She lets of a frustrated breath.

"Yeah."He turns his palm towards her hand, theirs fingers intertwined. She doesn't resist. He marvels at how they fit together, how her hands look so small and her long fingers feel almost delicate. He doesn't want to crush them. He wants to hold them forever.

"Kate." She hums, eyes trained on him. "I-" He's suddenly very aware of their locked hands and their kissing palms, aware of the circles his thumb is rubbing on her soft skin. He fights the urge to confess his ever-growing feelings to her because this is not the right time or place. He can't be selfish like that. If nothing more, he has to be her best friend now. "Do you think he's worth fighting for?"

He hopes the answer is no. The nagging voice in his head is petty and frustrated and pleads for it.

"We'll see. He's a nice man."

Rick can't help but think that nice isn't enough for her, that she deserves nothing short of amazing. Nice was his marriage with Gina, convenient, practical. He doesn't say it.

"I don't think Gina would be happy to hear that," she teases.

" Don't tell her I said that." He makes of show of loudly gulping, his eyes exaggeratedly wide.

She scoffs, the corner of her lips upturned. "Wouldn't dream of it." She looks uncomfortable for a moment. "Is that really what you think? My relationship with Josh. Do you really think it's...practical? Convenient?"

He's never seen her so insecure. The Beckett he knows is self-assured, confident in everything she does. But this is not Beckett in front of him, asking him love advice. This is Kate, soft and open, more beautiful than anyone he's ever seen. He finds himself awkward and tentative, unsure of how to be around her.

"I think-I think it's not my place to judge. You have to ask yourself how far you are willing to go for him, how much of yourself are you willing to let him see."

"That's surprisingly good advice, Mr. Castle."

"Sometimes I surprise myself." She laughs at that and he doesn't think he's ever heard something as lovelier as that. The smiles linger over both their faces.

"I'm glad I'm here with you, Rick" she whispers. "I can't imagine a life in which we would have never met. As much as you annoy me, I want you to know that I'm glad you are the one here with me." Her hand leaves his and he almost whimpers, already misses the warmth of her skin, but the whine is stuck in his throat when he feels her lips delicately touch his cheek. He can't. That's what goes through his mind. He can't sit there and pretend he's this amazing friend who's only got her happiness in mind.

"I can't." It's so soft, she barely hears it. "Please." It hurts. The way he said it hurts. His eyes are distant now, guarded in a way she's rarely seen from him. Not with her anyway. She knows, oh, of course she knows that he's not just her friend. He'll always have a special place in her heart. But Josh is easier, simpler. Someone like Josh is the only thing she can handle right now.

She closes her eyes for a moment, can't bear to see the steel that's back in his eyes. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have."

"You shouldn't have." A beat passes, and his voice soften when adds "but when this case is wrapped up, come over. We'll discuss this Josh situation over a nice bottle of wine."

She smiles wildly and his heart skips a beat because all he wants is to see that everyday. But for now, the promise of her company and the silent companionship between them is enough.

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 **Liked it? Then be kind enough to review, it's always a pleasure to read your comments.**

 **Side note, all the mistakes are mine, so if there's on that bugs you, just leave it in a reviews, I'll try to fix it!**

 **Coffee Cup**


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